In the Eyes of the Regretful
by cutejana17
Summary: "Even though I did the only thing I could, I'll always regret leaving you that way." Sophia lived in happiness with her love, Anton, in the town of Folsense. Unfortunately, when rumors of a curse plagued the town, she was forced to leave not because of the curse, but for "someone else dear to her". Starting fresh in a new village, she still yearns for him through the years...
1. The Invitation

_**Yo, **__**hello, good morning, afternoon, evening or whatever**__**! It's me again, the same one who brought you "**__In the Eyes of the Delusional__**", the tale of the Diabolical Box **__**(or Elysian Box, whatever you prefer XD) **__**in Anton's point of view. This time, **__**the same story will be told in another person's eyes, and that is... **__Sophia__**! Yep, the one people know as Anton's sweetheart in the game. She's a major character in the story **__**and has a great part in it, yet she wasn't physically present at the time of Professor Layton & the Diabolical Box's story... That's why I'm making this fanfic to emphasize her significance in the whole story. **__**What Sophia did was no easy task! **__**Very few details about her w**__**ere**__** in the game, so I'm going to improvise a lot to connect the dots. **_

_** Oh, by the way, I'm actually trying to make Sophia's side coincide with Anton's fic I'm working on now as well, so you could see the "**two sides of the coin**" of the same events (almost). Also, this is also newbie-friendly, so you can easily follow and read this if you don't mind getting spoiled on the game! I'll say this in advance though: Sophia's story will end earlier than Anton's story. If you know what I mean, well... hrmm :(**_

_**Okay, on with it!**_

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**-**_In the Eyes of Love_**-  
****In the Eyes of the Regretful****  
**

_-The Tale of the Diabolical Box in Sophia's point of view-_

_~ o ~ o ~_

_- **The First Chapter** -  
__The Invitation_

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It was just a normal day for the quiet town of Folsense. Once it was a quaint town, much like any other place in the country. It wasn't rich in terms of money, but everyone in town lived slow yet happy lives. People lived carefree lives, and only had to worry about stories of supernatural beings and monsters lurking during the night. Not everyone believes in these kinds of things, though.

In this peaceful town, there lived several families of noble birth. Leaders of the place mostly were from these families, such as lords and the duke of Folsense, hailing from the Herzen family. These people were big factors in the development of the town, and so far, Folsense has quickly grown with their help.

Sophia is the youngest daughter of an influential lord in Folsense, who considers himself the rival of Duke Herzen, the current duke of Folsense. Her family is as rich as the Herzens, which is a possible reason why her father considers himself so. In addition, she has two older sisters, who are all pretty popular in town because of their beauty and charisma.

Sophia's most prominent features would be her long, wavy hair which falls just above her waist and her beautiful emerald eyes. Unlike her sisters, she's kind of shy and rarely socializes with others, hence why no one notices her that much when she's around. However, there is a small number of people who do know about her true colors. She's actually an independent, knowledgeable and kind young lady whom her friends depend on, and one who'd be willing to lend a hand to others in need. Once you get to know her, you won't regret it; Sophia will be a great friend to you until the end. She helped her friends out of head-breaking problems more than once.

With these information said, let's take a peek into one of the significant events of Sophia's family during the course of their short history.

One night, while the family was busy all over their matters about the town and themselves, there was a knock on their front door. Sophia's father was in a bad mood, after knowing earlier that Duke Herzen had a better impression to the townsfolk by founding the new gold deposit on the outskirts of Folsense, so he didn't take heed of the sound at all. Since Sophia was the only one in the room, she took the initiative to see what's behind the door. It was a middle-aged man who was holding an envelope on his right hand, donning fitting clothes that resemble those of a servant working for royalties.

With a smile, Sophia grabbed the door's handle and pulled it open. "Oh, good evening. How can we help you?"

"Good evening to you too, miss. I'm just here to deliver something important from the Herzen family." The servant then held out the letter in his hands.

"_Oh no, Father's not going to like this_...", Sophia thought to herself. She couldn't just answer for her whole family and reject the message though, so she just took the letter. "Thank you for making the effort to deliver this to us, kind sir. Please be careful in going home; it's been dangerous at night recently." After giving thanks, he turned around and went home.

"_Should I read the contents of this envelope for myself first?_", Sophia asked herself. She thought it would be a bad idea to let her father see what the news was all about and go on a rampage afterward, so the young lady decided to read it first herself. With no one else around the lobby, she ripped the envelope's side and opened the letter inside.

_To my fellow residents in Folsense,_

_ I wish to invite you to the celebration of the astounding success of the gold mine, which is to be held next week. The grandest decorations, entertainment and cuisine are sure to be something to expect from this party. In addition to that, there will also be a ball where everyone are sure to enjoy. Bring your best formal outfits to the event, as this is your time to shine!_

_ I also request the young ladies to be their best in the eventful night. My eldest son is preparing for his future role as the duke of our town, and he certainly needs a partner to aid him for the rest of his life. Who knows, maybe one of your friends or family gets to be chosen by my son. Have fun!_

_Yours truly,_

_Duke Herzen_

Sophia paused for a few seconds after reading the letter. She already expected what her father's reaction will be after reading the invitation, though she was rather intrigued at the latter half of the text. "...A life partner for the future duke?"

Her eldest sister overheard her from the nearby room, and quickly stole the letter after she got in. She scanned through the letter and gave a curious look. "Hmm, did Father read this already?"

"No, but..."

"I'll go give him this then. It's important business."

"W-wait! That's not such a good idea!"

The purple-haired daughter couldn't do anything as her sister hastily went inside their father's room.

Later that night, every daughter was gathered in the said room. The older two were calm in place, while the youngest one was so nervous that she couldn't even afford to look to her father. With a grumpy expression on his face, the lord, after reading the invitation, crumpled and threw the letter towards his back without hesitation.

The middle daughter spoke. "Umm, Father, are you just going to disregard that letter?"

"Of course," the irritated lord answered, "why are we going to that arrogant duke's party? How dare he send his rival an invitation to celebrate HIS success! Arrgh!"

The eldest daughter crossed her arms and gave a sigh. "Aww, that's too bad. We could have got a chance to meet the duke's son... And then our families would both rule as Folsense's greatest at the same time."

"No, I would rather work hard to make us the richest aristocrats around than sharing our wealth with that boastful man's family! And my decision is final; we will **NOT** attend the celebration!", he shouted. He was really angry.

Despite seeing her prediction fulfilled, Sophia's mind was put to ease since her father didn't react much violently compared to his previous outrages. Her father would usually rush to Duke Herzen to challenge him to a fight in many forms, but this time he just chose not to meddle with his rival. With all things said, everyone returned to their respective rooms to rest for the night.

The next day, when Sophia was about to take a stroll outside town, she spotted two of her friends in their house's lobby, seemingly inquiring her father about something. Sophia asked what they wanted to know, and one answered with a smirk.

"Well, we were trying to convince your father to come with us with the ball."

"But Father doesn't want us to go. You know what's the tension between him and the duke, right?"

The other replied. "Come on, you rarely get to go on events like that! You should experience something like this at least once in your life, you know."

She felt uncomfortable with their urging, and tried to avoid eye contact. "I'm sorry, but this isn't just my-"

Everyone stopped In their words because of the sound of the lord clearing his throat. This gesture usually indicates something important to be told by the said person. Out of respect, the friends stood straight and faced him.

"...Okay, I now allow my daughter to go with you. Just don't go beyond our curfew hours, or all of you will suffer my punishment. Understand?"

Such an unlikely answer from her father made Sophia dumbfounded. In contrast, her friends pulled her out of the door out of excitement and rushed to the main part of town. When she couldn't get in sync with her friends' pace anymore, she tried to question their intentions.

"Where are you two taking me? And we should slow down..."

"We're going to find the perfect dress for us! Especially for you, Sophia!"

"Yup! We couldn't let this chance pass! After all, we're going to have a chance to dance with the duke's son!", her friend commented with a squeal. Both friends seem very enthusiastic about the event. Hearing her friends' statements, she shifted her look to the castle stationed far away from town: the Herzen Castle.

"A dance with Duke Anthony Herzen, you say? Maybe either one of the two of you will be the special chosen for the event."

One answered back with a smirk. "Oh? Maybe it's **you** who's going to be that special someone! No one knows, hee hee!" The remark made Sophia blush a little, but just responded with a smile.

They were all laughing while walking through town, which made the friendly conversation end up into teasing. While they were happily joking each other about whom the duke's son will end up with, Sophia felt uneasy, remembering her father and Duke Herzen's heated rivalry.

_If I do get the chance though, I know this won't end well..._

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**Man, it's hard to find inspiration to type if you're inspired to draw instead XD**

**Oh well, I just took the time to finish outlining my DB storybook... It was really fun though. **

**Anyway, here's the first chapter of Sophia's fic done! Most of the events in the chapter were made on-the-spot, haha... And I didn't name the other characters because they aren't going to be a big part of the story (let's say they'll only be in a chapter or two), since I won't focus on Folsense that much. That part goes to Anton's fic, mind you. Since I wasn't in the peak of my inspiration to type when I did this, I would appreciate reviews so much. :)**

**Well then, see you on the next chapter! I have to make her fic catch up with Anton's in terms of events XD**

_P.S. The lack of Diabolical Box fanfics- no, DB-related content makes me sad. Really. It deserves more love... :C_


	2. A Night at the Ball

- _**The Second Chapter**_-

_A Night at the Ball_

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A whole busy week had passed ever since Duke Herzen sent invitations of the upcoming celebration to everyone in Folsense. And the townsfolk were indeed busy; they spent the whole week finding or making their formal attire. From this showcasing of behavior, it can be said that these people were very eager to attend the event. Who doesn't want parties anyway?

It's strange that a family living in one household didn't seem to be in a festive mood though; but thinking about it, it doesn't seem to be strange at all.

Sophia was already dressed up, her dress a lavender hue, and a pink overdress, with long sleeves and ruffled at the ends, colored white. With everything prepared, she was ready to head to Herzen castle with her friends, albeit with hesitation. After combing her long, purple hair for a short while, she headed downstairs to see her sisters and her father doing their own thing. Curious, she asked her father what was going on among them.

"Father, aren't my sisters going to attend the party too, since you allowed me to go with my friends?"

Her eldest sister answered in place of their father, not even turning her head to face her sister. "I pretty much think Father would allow us if he allowed you to go, but I've got better things to do tonight." The other also nodded in reply, giving a bored expression on her face. They don't seem to be interested to go. Meanwhile, her father, standing near the main door, gave a not-so-serious look to her, meaning he's in a rather good mood. He opened the door for his youngest daughter and gave a soft smile.

"Sophia, your friends are already here. Shouldn't you go with them now?"

"Ah, yes, Father, I'm actually heading out now. Thank you for opening the door for me."

"Now, now, don't go home too late. Go home as soon as the party ends, you understand?"

There was some hint of annoyance in his tone when he mentioned the party. Of course, he would obviously feel that way, but if it's for the happiness of his daughter, then why would he spoil the fun?

As Sophia set out, she kissed her father and bid her family goodbye. There was an awkward silence in the room... until the middle sister asked about their father's reason behind his decision to allow their sister to go. The reluctant lord only sighed, and answered his daughter's question. "I was skeptical of the idea too. But this is meant for the people of Folsense, not for that greedy duke himself, so I think sending her to the celebration will not bring any harm. And besides, her friends have a point; Sophia haven't experienced going to events like this, so I think this is good for her." Saying this put him at ease, but in the back of his mind, he was worried that one of his daughters would ask this question:

_How if Sophia gets chosen by the duke's son? _

He then hastily went into his room, trying to avoid the moment he'll be hearing those words.

The group of friends had finally reached Herzen Castle after some time of walking. As they walked into the castle's entrance, they were greeted with bright, yellow lights and classical music, perfect for setting the mood of the celebration. They passed through large crowds of people, all heading for the castle's great hall, where the main venue was. The group of three then proceeded in the hall, and claimed a table near the wall for them to stay at.

The three girls can't help but be amazed by the interior of the castle. The two of the friends were excited just by the sight of the place. One restlessly gazed at her surroundings. The other had her eyes glisten as she saw all the expensive and high-value décor displayed in the hall.

"Ah, this place is a lot bigger than I thought! It looks massive on the outside, and even more when you're in it!"

"The castle looks so majestic as well! Look at all these things: the utensils on the tables, the lights fixed on the wall, the suits of armor, the swords on display, the gigantic chandelier over us... Just amazing!"

While Sophia wasn't as enthusiastic as with these girls, she was filled with joy just by looking around in place, seeing the guests celebrating with glee. To have something to do, she invited her friends to get food from the buffet and eat up to fill their empty stomachs.

The friends were happily chatting about the party when the younger son of the duke, Fredrich Herzen, approached their table and inquired about their experience of the night so far, to which they answered positively, of course. He was quite a short man, to be frank, but he talked in a way that made his listeners heed almost everything what he said. Hence, he wasn't boring to listen to. Sophia's friends seemed to enjoy talking to him, so she wasn't able to speak for herself... which was a chance wasted since it's considered an honor to talk to someone of royal blood like him. After some minutes of exchanges, he then left and entertained the other guests seated at the tables nearby.

Finally, the host, Duke Herzen stood up and stationed himself at the top of the staircase, the one decorated with sharp swords and shining suits of armor, and gave a short introduction to the night's event. After his first sentence, the guests immediately put down their eating utensils and listened intently to the speaker. Everyone seemed to be waiting for a specific announcement from him. While thinking of what that something the people wanted to hear was, Sophia decided to just do the same like with everyone else, though she already had a hunch that it was probably about the ball.

Now, as much as this young lady had the desire of listening to what her father's rival had to say for the reason behind the celebration and the town's success over time due to the founding of a gold mine in Folsense, she was distracted by something else. No, due to someone else, actually.

Everyone else might be excited, but this someone, this young man, decided to separate himself from the festivity and stood near a corner of the hall, quiet in place instead. "_Judging from his indigo coat, __fair __complexion, __turquoise eyes __and golden hair, he must be Duke Ant__hony_, _the eldest son of Duke Herzen,_" Sophia thought to herself. "_So he's the one __whom everyone in this event will get to dance with? Now I understand why so many ladies came to the celebration... __I do hope he's a nice person though._"

Despite that she said her last two sentences in a rather jokingly and light-hearted way, Sophia was bothered by the young man's aura. As stated in Duke Herzen's letter, this ball was actually meant to be a way for his son to choose his future partner among the female guests, so she thought it was something to be enthusiastic about. However, it couldn't be denied that he doesn't look happy at all, but rather problematic about the events to come.

Noticing that she didn't get to listen to Duke Herzen's speech, the green-eyed girl quickly returned her attention to the host. It seems that he has just ended his speech and opened the dance floor at last; the moment everyone's been waiting for. Everyone gave a loud round of applause after the duke said his final remarks. "Oh goodness, I missed the whole speech! Silly me. But that's fine, I think I understood everything he said." In place, Sophia just watched gentlemen escorting their dance pairs to the dance floor. At first, only a few were in the center, but eventually the whole floor was occupied.

Since there was nothing else that needed her focus on that time, she directed her sight back on the young man, still wearing that worried look on his face...

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**You guys don't know how hard it is to motivate myself to type...**

**I mean, every time I try to motivate myself to do so, I only end up DRAWING it. It's a miracle that I still get to finish this chapter. Argggh... **

**Anyway, an update, at last! I had to refer several times to Chapters 2-3 of Anton's fic for this one to click into place, so this was more complicated than I thought. I could have done this in comic form and finish it within days! Man, I really am an artist, not a writer XD**

**BTW, if you guys have Tumblr and frequently check out the Professor Layton tag, you could have seen users called **_yamiakuzetsu_** and **_victory-duo_** there. I'm both of them, with the former being my main account and the latter my drawing blog account. (Yeah, so don't wonder why those two blogs are full of DB stuff in them XD) :D**

**Again, reviews are greatly appreciated! See you on the next chapter :)**


	3. Deep in Thought

_**- The Third Chapter -**_

_Deep in Thought_

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_I wonder what's going on.  
__There seems to be something wrong around these parts...  
__But I can't seem to make out what it exactly is.  
__Oh well, I'm just here to enjoy the celebration, so-_

"Hey Sophia!"

A startled Sophia was cut off by her friend while she was deep in thought. Almost falling out of her chair, she unconsciously held on her other friend to help herself up. Both of her friends were confused since they've known her as the type who's focused on everything she does, always on the right frame of mind whenever they see her. This time, however, they noticed her being distracted for a while now...

After fixing herself in place, Sophia gave a reassuring smile. "F-forgive me about that..."

"You seem to be thinking about something so deeply. Is something the matter?"

"No, I'm completely fine, thank you."

"Aww, I'm sure you aren't. Is it about the duke's son?"

With her friend having a really precise wild guess about the reason for her uneasiness, she was again taken aback, though she tried hard not to make them notice this gesture and maintained her calm. Fortunately for Sophia, it worked. She answered back, though she kept her reasons to herself, since they might have meant something else...

"You could say that. You should have known ever since you brought me here with you..."

"Don't worry, there's a lot of people here in the party, so it's near-impossible for you to get chosen by Duke Anthony!"

The other friend retorted, "But still, if it's near-impossible, then there's still a chance for Sophia to be chosen, am I wrong?"

A few seconds of silence accompanied the statement. For Sophia, she gave a sigh of relief to herself, since her friends thought she was talking about that night's event with the royalty, and not that she noticed the young duke-to-be giving off an unusual aura. At the other hand, the two girls took Sophia's reason for her gesture as being burdened with the risk of being chosen. The idea of the situation occurring into the near future sank into the friends' systems... which caused them to feel guilty for dragging Sophia into their own desires. However, the silence broke when they saw ladies creating a commotion on the dance floor.

They seem to be rushing for something... or maybe fighting over it, whatever it may be. It was really hard to see with all these girls rambling and bumping into each other. It was even hard to hear what they were saying with all of these people screaming so loudly at the same time. For a second though, one of the friends, the one who told the group that there's a chance that Sophia may get chosen by the duke's son, saw what was caught up in the fuss.

"Hey, you two!," she exclaimed, pointing at the source of the commotion, "I know now what's behind all that chaos!"

As she heard this, the young lady, remembering what caught her attention earlier, shifted her sight back to where Duke Anthony was. Much to her surprise, he wasn't there anymore. "_Maybe he's_..."

The chaos continued. It only got worse, with these overly-eager girls pulling each other out just to get nearer to the center. They were seem to be playing a variant of the game "_Tug of War_" judging from their violent pulling from **all directions**. This went on and on, until...

"_Just listen to me, will you, ladies?! **I COMMAND YOU TO STOP, RIGHT NOW**!"_

A loud shout echoed in the hall. It sounded like it was full of anger, frustration, agony... Somehow like the one who made the sound was mad at the world. In an instant, the group of girls, struck with terror, backed away and fell in line, looking really orderly in contrast to their behavior a little while back. This clearly revealed the reason why they were causing such an uproar: a young man standing still in place, hiding his pale face from embarrassment. The group of friends were right in what they saw.

"Ah, you were right. So it was Duke Anthony! With some, uhh, crazy company with him..."

"No wonder he shouted at them. Can't blame him since I would be as annoyed as him if I were in his shoes." The first one who brought up the whole topic with him earlier with Sophia only scratched her head, seeing the majority's behavior with the young duke. She couldn't help but put in a side comment though. "...but I can now see why they go head-over-heels for him. I can't deny the fact that he looks... quite handsome. Hee hee."

A pair of green eyes focused on the scene. Sophia talked to herself again in her mind, taking account what recently happened. "_I think I understand now why he acted that way __earlier, why he seemed to be so problematic. And my, that line's so long! No wonder this night would be even more stressful for him._"

Recovering from his reaction completely uncalled for (for someone with a high status like him), the young duke then started to escort one of the overly-eager girls to the dance floor.

And so, this marked the start of the night's main event.

Even though guilty for falling in line and also leaving their good friend behind at the same time, Sophia's two friends went on to take the chance to dance with the duke's son, since they thought it would be a big chance wasted if they missed out. Luckily, they got to get in the queue when only half the venue's current female population was in it. The young lady understood their intentions, and quickly encouraged them to get in line. After all, she had no intention of joining in the event in the first place, so she wouldn't feel bad about not getting to dance. To occupy herself while waiting, she walked around the place.

After several minutes, she felt kinda thirsty, so she kindly asked for a glass of juice from one of the servers at the buffet table, who gladly served her. She drank some of it while she turned around, and smiled when she saw one of her friends already dancing with Duke Anthony.

_ "Wow, they look great! But there still seems to be something wrong with him. He looks... too serious? Or maybe he's just like that. And I wonder why my friend's smiling that way; it's nothing like her to smile so forcefully. I think she's just nervous..." _Since her other friend was next in line, she continued to observe as she asked for another glass from the server. Of course, the server was willing to give her another since he appreciated Sophia's kind treatment towards him.

_ "She's trying to talk to the duke's son, but somehow, he seems to avoid talking so much, seeing his reaction. My friend seems to feel awkward then..." _After feeling a sense of satisfaction drinking some juice, she returned the glass to the generous server, thanked him and proceeded to reunite with her friends, just after they got their turn. Suddenly though, people got in the way, causing that side of the hall to be crowded. She didn't have an idea what caused this, but this made her lose sight of her friends. Sophia waited a few minutes for everyone to settle down; however, when she tried to find her companions again, they were nowhere to be seen. She searched around the hall and examined the dancers in the dance floor, but to no avail.

"_Maybe they thought I already went home because of my curfew, since they couldn't see me. It can't be helped, then..." _She just returned to their table and sat down to rest herself from all the soul-searching she had to do.

Her friends leaving her alone in the place made her feel a bit of sorrow, since it never occurred to her before. They had this rule among themselves where they wouldn't go on anywhere even if just one of them is missing. She wanted to go home around the time her curfew would be up, but it was still half an hour before that time comes. Also, her father, being overprotective over his daughters, didn't want anyone of his children to go home without someone with them. Now, this is going to be quite a problem for her, isn't it?

Now, deep in thought again for what she plans to do for the next thirty minutes, Sophia kept quiet in place, head facing the table and a bit tilted downwards, staring at the floor with anxiety and sorrow in her heart...

...until someone approached her table, and talked to her. It was a gentle voice, with weariness from the event evident in its tone, yet so enthusiastic and cheerful, seemingly trying to hide its tiredness just so the young lady wouldn't worry.

"Good evening, Miss. How are you enjoying the night so far?"

"**A-Ah!**" Sophia gave off the same reaction as with her friend earlier. She was startled yet again, and when she was deep in thought too! "_Oh goodness, I did it again... Come on Sophia, fix yourself! You can't act like this around other people, now, it's embarra-"_

Her words were cut off upon looking at the other person... It was someone whom she never expected to see. The one she didn't want to risk to meet, and that is...

"_**D-Duke Anthony Herzen?!"**_

* * *

** I guess drawing a lot can help me focus here, huh... I'm out of ideas on what to draw now. So ironic! I may as well focus on this more from now on since I'll need to refer on my fanfics for the storybook I'm currently finalizing :)**

** At least this is catching up with the other side of the story. Coincidentally, the main event in the other fic's fourth chapter will be the same with here next chapter... I typed this one up within a day, so maybe it means that I'm inspired to do it now? To be honest I was supposed to work on my essay last night instead of this, but it can't be helped.**

**Oh, before I forget, you could read Anton's side of the story too for some stuff to make more sense. And seeing the references are cool too, hehe. XD**

**Anyway, I just don't know what's up with irony recently for me... I dunno, I just love it. I typed up something about an ironic love story (which is related to DB), made a drawing about it, and now it's even evident in the whole chapter. Coincidentally, they are all related to DB, or should I say, our main characters for these stories. LOL **

**I'll try to work on the next chapter (definitely one of the highlights of the story) as soon as possible, so see you! :D**


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